EE Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2018 nominees: Best Camera

The 15th annual Pocket-lint Gadget Awards will take place in the middle of November, celebrating the best devices across a number of categories including games, smartphones, cars and cameras.

There are 18 main categories this year, along with a Fast Award and the Product of the Year Award, the latter of which is selected from the winners of each category. As usual, we will be giving you a rundown of each category’s nominees and why they have been selected.

Here we are focusing on the nominees for best camera 2018, which includes both compact and interchangeable lens cameras.

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Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark III

In the world of compact cameras it’s rare to find one with a sensor as large as an APS-C one – there’s the never-been-followed-up Nikon Coolpix A from 2013, or the more recent Ricoh GR – and, until this third-gen Canon reared its head, there’s never been one with a zoom lens. That in itself makes the G1 X III a milestone camera. And a hugely capable one when it comes to image quality.

The Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark III successfully replaced our go-to DSLR during our time reviewing it, so it’s more than up to the task. It didn’t do so in like-for-like fashion though, which makes it a good rather than outstanding camera. Some will love it, others will struggle to find justification for purchase.

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Fujifilm X-H1

In the X-H1, Fujifilm has created a worthy top-tier entry to its mirrorless X-series line-up. It’s got the build quality, the style, the stabilisation and the speed to outshine many of its rivals. Finally 4K video gets an overhaul, too, to lure in a whole other audience.

Where the X-H1 appeals compared to its main rival – the Panasonic Lumix G9 – is with its larger sensor size, higher resolution and tri-adjustable LCD screen. Add the optional battery grip and it’s transformed into even more of a beast, elevating it to often lofty heights that will lure in enthusiasts and pros alike.

Panasonic Lumix G9

The Panasonic Lumix G9 doesn’t only step up what mirrorless cameras can do – surpassing even the Fujifilm X-T2 in many areas – it successfully places itself in among the DSLR elite. It’s a very impressive bit of kit indeed.

Sony A7R III

In terms of all-round competence, the Sony A7R III goes head-to-head with the Nikon D850 as the best full-frame camera money can buy. It’s a battle of mirrorless versus DSLR. The A7R III offers fractional image quality improvements over the hard-to-beat A7R II – not in resolution terms, but in dynamic range levels.

Where the A7R III really shines over its predecessor is in its overall handling and operational speed. Burst shooting, image processing, autofocus speed and accuracy are all vastly quicker. The Sony A7R III is the epitome of competence, whatever your genre of photography. Only the more demanding sports and wildlife photographers will need the A9, while landscape and studio photographers will struggle to find a better full-frame camera.

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Sony Cyber-shot RX100 VI

There’s no other camera this tiny that offers the sheer quality and versatility of the Sony RX100 VI. Yes, it’s very expensive, but this has been designed to be the very best small compact on the market, and taking into account its image quality, its excellent autofocus system, its zoom range, its viewfinder and the options it offers more creative photographers, we believe it achieves that goal.

In all honesty, we can’t muster up any major criticisms other than the inevitable aperture dip at those longer focal lengths. If you’re looking for an ultra-compact camera that can deliver great-looking photos and video in almost any situation, and you’re willing to pay a big premium for that, this is the model you should consider first.